Boosting Male Fertility

male fertility

Boosting Male Fertility

Did you know that men and women are equally susceptible to infertility factors? That’s right. Of all the couples diagnosed with infertility, half of them are infertile as the result of male fertility factors.

The most common cause of male infertility is poor sperm count, quality, and/or motility, and there are things you can do to increase all three.

Take Sperm Quality Into Your Own Hands

The following tips can help ensure your body and your sperm are as healthy as possible to boost male fertility.

Understand the link between age and male fertility

Quips about the female biological clock have been the norm for centuries, but now we know that men have their own clocks to consider. Studies have shown that male fertility begins to decline at around the same age as women. Male sperm quality and quantity typically begin to diminish between 35 and 40-years-old and take a notable drop once men hit their later-40s. Men 51-years old and older only facilitate pregnancy about 35% of the time.

Get a sperm analysis

If you and your partner aren’t conceiving at home as fast as you thought you would, schedule an appointment with your doctor and request a sperm analysis. A laboratory semen analysis is relatively inexpensive when compared with most of the procedures used to determine a woman’s fertility, and health insurance typically covers the bulk of the cost.

Follow a pregnancy diet

Your diet affects the health of your sperm, and that’s especially true if you are someone who doesn’t place much emphasis on your diet at all. It turns out that the same menu we recommend for women trying to get pregnant can improve sperm quality as well.

Focus on:

  • Lots of fresh fruits and veggies
  • Lean protein
  • Low to zero processed foods
  • Minimally processed sugar
  • Swapping soda and sugary beverages for water

Instead of taking prenatal vitamins, hopeful dads-to-be can speak to their doctor about vitamins/minerals and other supplements known to support male fertility such as:

  • A multivitamin with zinc (without iron)
  • Vitamin C 500 mg
  • Carnitine 1000 mg daily
  • Coenzyme Q10 200 mg daily

If you’d like some more specific guidance, try following the recommendations for an anti-inflammatory diet, which can help support any latent medical issues.

Try to maintain a healthy BMI

Being under- as well as overweight is bad for fertility. Rather than pounds, most physicians are now concentrating on body mass index (BMI), which takes your height, weight, age, and body type into consideration. A healthy male BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9. Sperm quality, as well as hormone balance and libido, can go off course if your BMI is below or above that target range.

Click Here to establish your BMI. If you are above or below the target window, speak to your healthcare provider about what you can do to change that and increase your fertility chances.

Leave pesticides/herbicides behind

There are countless studies linking herbicides and pesticides to low sperm count and diminished sperm quality. Make eating organic or pesticide/herbicide-free foods a priority. In addition to supporting your own fertility, waning demand for these foods will help to push food producers in a healthier direction for us all.

Get plenty of exercise and sleep

Even if you are overweight, research has shown that exercising can boost sperm count before the weight comes off or your target BMI is achieved. Not only that, healthy sleep patterns are also correlated with higher male fertility rates. Deep sleep is necessary for your body’s hormone regulation. Men who lose sleep or work graveyard shifts are more likely to be overweight due to a decline in metabolic rate and are more likely to have lower testosterone levels, which negatively impacts libido and sperm quality.

Quit smoking and excessive alcohol/drug consumption

There is an undeniable link between smoking and unhealthy sperm, and that includes smoking marijuana. And, while you’re at it, take a good, clear look at your alcohol and recreational drug use. Recreational drug use should be completely relinquished while trying to get pregnant (and afterward!), and anything more than one drink per day could affect your ability to perform or get pregnant.

Are you struggling to get pregnant even while making boosting male fertility a priority? Contact us here at the Virginia Fertility & IVF to schedule a fertility consultation.

 

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